Apparatus for cleaning sewers.



PATENTED AUG. 25, 1908.

J. KELLY. y APPARATUS PoR CLEANING- sLwLRs.

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JOHN KELLY, OF IIAMAICA'PLAIN, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SEWERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 25, 1908.

Application led April 20, 1908. .Serial No. 427,992.

VTo all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN KELLY, a citizen of the United States, residingat Jamaica Plain, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for CleaningSewers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for cleaning sewers,and the object is to provide an apparatus by means of which collectionsof mud and other matter may be much more easily and quickly removed fromsewers and with less expense than has heretofore been possible.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts setforth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectionalelevation of a sewer cleaning device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is asectional elevation of the same taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, lookingtoward the right. Fig. 3 is a plan section taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 1and partly broken away to save space. Fig. 4is a longitudinal sectionalelevation illustrating the sewer in section with my complete apparatusarranged in connection therewith.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views ofthedrawings.

In the drawings, 5 is a casing comprising a shell 6 which may becylindrical in form and having a plurality of exterior ribs 7 extendinglongitudinally thereof, said ribs in this instance consisting ofhalf-round bars secured at intervals to said shell, opposite ends ofsaid bars extending beyond opposite ends, respectively, of said shelland being bent inwardly.' Mounted Within the shell 6 are two gates orclappers 8, 8 which in this instance are riveted to two hinged members9, 9, through which passes a rod 10 terminating at its opposite ends,respectively, in opposite sides of the shell 6. The gates 8, 8 areadapted to swing from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3 to theposition shown in dotted lines therein, the extent of movement of saidgates being limited in` one direction by two stops 11, 11 and in theopposite direction by a stop 12 which is fast to a rod 13 terminating atits opposite ends, respectively, in opposite sides of the shell 6.

The gates 8, 8 constitute a valve or valves which are adapted to permitthe flow of fluids through the shell 6 in one direction, but prevent theflow of iluids through said shell in the opposite direction, that is,toward the right, Figs. 1 and 3. Secured to the exterior of the shell 6and extending longitudinally thereof are two strips of bars 14, 14 whichlike the bars 7 are bent inwardly at opposite ends, respectively,thereof, said ends being connected by means of four rings 15 to fourchains 16, said chains terminating in two rings 17, 17 which as seen inFig. 4 are connected to ropes or other suitable like devices 18, 18,respectively, said ropes passing through pulley blocks 19, 19,respectively, and extending therefrom upwardly through the manholes ofthe sewer. These ropes 18 may be manipulated by any suitable means asfor example two drums 20, 20 on which they may be wound and by means ofwhich the cleaning device may be moved to and fro longitudinally throughthe sewer.

The general operation of the apparatus hereinbefore specificallydescribed is as follows: The apparatus is set up, as shown in Fig. 4,and is drawn through the sewer toward the right, which movement resultsin the gates 8, 8 being opened into the position shown in dotted linesin Fig. 3. It will be noted that the stop 12 limits the swingingmovement of the gates 8, 8, whereby in their open position said gatesare'inclined at an acute angle to the longitudinal median axial line ofthe casing. When the device has been moved to a point below theright-hand manhole, it is then moved toward the left and-as soon as suchmovement toward the left begins the gates 8, 8 are closed, as seen infull lines in Fig. 3, and as the movement toward the left continues thede osits of mud and other matter are carried a ong and collected in theshell 6 until the left-hand manhole is reached, at which point suchcollections may be moved through said manhole. The device may be passedto and fro from one manhole to the other until the sewer has beenentirely freedof deposits.

In the use of the apparatus the casing is apt to rotate upon its axisowing to twisting of the ropes which are used to draw it through thesewer pipe and, therefore, the pivotal pin l0 of the gates 8 is just asapt to stand in a horizontal osition as in a vertical position, butregardlless of the position of said pin the gates 8, 8 when in theiropen position so diverge from the pivot that in moving the device towardthe left the collections of mud or other material enter into theV-shaped space between the left hand faces of the gates and said gatesnever fail to close under the inuence of the mud pressing thereagainst.

The ribs 7 serve the double purpose of reducing the frictionalresistance due to .contact of the walls of the sewer and the spaces leftbetween the shell 6 and the surface of the sewer walls permits the waterto flow past the device while it is at work. The ends of the bars 7' and14 being bent inwardly prevents the ends of the device from catching onthe oints in the sewer structure and also makes it easy to draw thedevice through curved portions of the sewer. When the sewer is ofnon-circular cross section, the device may have secured thereto a shoe2l of the proper shape, said shoe being illustrated in cross section inFig. 2.

Having thus described my`invention, what I claim and desire by LettersPatent to secure is:

1. In a device for cleaning sewers, a casing, two gates pivotallymounted within said casing and adapted in opening to swing toward eachother toward the longitudinal median axial line of said casing andadapted in closing to swing toward a plane at right angles to saidmedian line, and means to limit the swinging movement of said gates,whereby at the end of their opening movement each is inclined at anacute angle to said median line.

2. In a device for cleaning sewers, a casing, two gates pivotallymounted within said cas ing to swing about a common aXis and adapted inopening to swing toward each other toward the longitudinal median axialline of said casing and adapted in closing to swing toward a plane atright angles to said median line, and means to limit the swingingmovement of said gates, whereby at the end of their openin(T movementeach is inclined at an acute ang e to said median line.

In' testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOHN KELLY. Witnesses:

Louis A. JoNEs, SADIE V. MCCARTHY.'

